


It's all in the Nameday

by DualWieldingCousland (DualWieldingMama)



Series: Starting Over [23]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-17 08:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14185149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DualWieldingMama/pseuds/DualWieldingCousland
Summary: Trev needs to find the perfect nameday gift for her husband.  She recruits her best friend for help.  What does she decide on?





	1. The idea

_RC: So what are you getting Cullen for his nameday?_

 

_RT: Maker’s breath_

_RT: I don’t know_

_RT: Well, that’s not true. I KNOW what I want to get him, but …_

_RT: I think I need your help._

 

_RC: MY help? Why am I scared?_

 

_RT: Are you home? I’ll be home in about 15 and can explain everything._

 

_RC: See you soon._

 

Regan Cousland sat her phone on top of the pile of towels behind her and frowned at the small plastic pool in front of her. The complex’s hose was taking way too long to get an adequate amount of suds out of the water. Before Alistair had moved in she would just do this in the apartment’s bathroom, then light candles to try and hide the wet dog smell. But it just didn’t seem fair to make him deal with the smell seeping into everything he owned. “What in the Maker’s name could she need _my_ help for, Jasper?”

“Woof!”

“Helpful.” Regan exhaled and rubbed her eyes. Every now and then, she could swear her dog had picked up the ability to use sarcasm. Oh well; time to get to work. “In you go. No stalling this time.” There was a pause, and she saw what could only be described as a mischievous grin cross his face. His muscles tensed; his back end waggled, almost like a cat getting ready to pounce. “Don’t you even …”

*SPLASH*

Of course. Her lips pursed tightly, biting back the shriek she knew her dog had been angling for while trying to look as stern as she could. As slow as that pool had filled, there had obviously been enough water to thoroughly drench anyone nearby, which was currently limited to Regan. “Really, Jas?” She looked down at herself, arms extended on either side, hair hanging in front of her eyes.

“Woof!”

“Uh huh; sure you are.” With a sigh, hair was pushed away from her face before plucking up the bottle of mabari shampoo. “Now hold still; I don’t have five hours to try and get you clean. Trev’s gonna be here in about ten minutes and I don’t want a dog with a sick sense of humor drenching _her_ too.”

                ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***        ***

“I tried to warn you.” Regan Cousland sighed and watched as the mostly-dry Jasper sprawled comfortably in a sunny spot on the sidewalk in front of the complex. She leaned back on one of the spare towels she had brought out with her before starting the dangerous task of bathing a mabari. “Honestly, any _normal_ person coming up on a kiddie pool with a very large mabari in it would give it a wide berth.” She grinned as Regan Trevelyan proceeded to lift one finger in her general direction.

“ _You_ waved me over,” Trev laughed, sitting cross-legged with yet another towel between herself and the grass in front of the apartment. “I just figured that meant it was _safe_.” She hadn’t expected to be greeted by a soaking wet dog determined to give her a hug. “Besides, when have you ever considered me _normal_?”

“Point.” Regan thought about running inside to change into something dry, but until Jasper was actually completely dry, it wasn’t really worth the risk. So, she and Trev just relaxed on towels, letting the sun dry their clothes while Trev outlined her plan for Cullen’s name day. “So you’re determined? This is for _sure_ what you want to do for his name day?” The answering nod was met with a thoughtful purse of lips. “You realize, though, there’s a chance the one you pick out won’t … be a fit, right? It’s perfectly possible that it will; you know Cullen well enough. But it can be a tricky thing.”

“I know.” Trev drummed her fingertips against the sidewalk. “What if you and I go and check out the place first, then schedule a time to bring the boys and let Cullen pick it out himself?” It was imperative that _he_ be happy with this gift. It was something he’d wanted ever since childhood. Rosalie had once even mentioned that he would sneak over to the neighbor’s house in the evenings just to see theirs.

“Sounds like a plan. I know just the place; we can go as soon as we change into something dry.”


	2. The execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trev's idea is a go. Regan C knew just where to go and who to see. The boys and Jasper are along for the ride. What will the gift be?

“Where are you two taking us?” Cullen resisted the urge to simply tug off the blindfold his wife had insisted he put on as soon as they were on the highway. His only solace was that Alistair was in a similar predicament. The Regans had been adamant about that detail before the group piled into Regan Cousland’s SUV.

Alistair bit back a laugh at the hint of nervousness in the other man’s voice. Regan had at least given him a _little_ warning prior to producing a couple strips of cloth. _‘I promise it’s nothing bad, dearheart; Trev just doesn’t want Cullen guessing what she’d gotten him. And you know you’re horrible at keeping secrets,’_ she had said. _‘You and Cullen just need to wear these once we get in the car until we get to where we’re going.’_ She had made the whole situation seem so normal, and she had a point. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d accidentally let something slip. “It can’t be _too_ bad, Rutherford. At least they didn’t bind our hands too.”

“Don’t give them -.” Cullen’s response was cut off by his wife’s voice finishing his thought.

“-any ideas, Alistair Theirin.” Trev looked over her shoulder into the back seat and snapped a quick picture of the two men, with Jasper’s head popping up out of the back at the last second. “Though, that may not be a bad idea. Can we really trust them to leave their blindfolds on?”

Regan laughed, picturing her friend in the front seat trying to tie either man’s hands, in the back seat, without getting out of the car. “I think we’ll be fine. They seem like trustworthy prisoners.” A quick glance at the clock, and her speedometer, let her know they were nearly to their destination anyway. “Binding them now wouldn’t help much anyway, and I’m sure Cullen will want use of his hands as soon as he’s out of the car.”

“That sounds … forebode-.” Cullen suddenly lurched sideways, the quick turn and sudden shift of terrain beneath the SUV from smooth road to bumpy gravel cutting off his thought. “Where in the Maker’s name are we going?” He wasn’t sure how long they’d been in the car; he’d managed to doze off for part of the trip thanks to not being able to see anything.

“Might as well face it, Rutherford; they’re going to take us somewhere remote and have their way with us.” Alistair reached out, flailing until he found what he hoped was Cullen’s shoulder and attempted a few comforting pats. “Then, they’ll leave us tied to chairs with plates of delicious cheese just out of reach.”

“We’re here.” Regan shut off the ignition and turned around to face the backseat. “You all wait here a sec. I’m going to make sure everything’s … safe ....” She paused, looking over at Trev and winked. “And then we’ll get you all out and everything will make sense.”

A door opened, and he could hear someone – he assumed it was his girlfriend - get out before the door slammed shut again, leaving the two men alone with a silent Trevelyan. Alistair fidgeted nervously in his seat. He had no idea why _he_ was nervous; whatever the surprise was, it was for Cullen, not him. Maybe it was the fact that he had no clue what they were doing or where they even were. He couldn’t remember a time where she’d kept something from him like this. “Can I at least open the door to let some fresh air in? Maybe get out of the car and stretch?”

“I can’t see the harm in it.” Trevelyan tried to sound relaxed, even though her insides felt like they were being overrun with butterflies. What if Cullen didn’t like it? What if he couldn’t find one he liked? What if, what if, what if. “Wait one second and I’ll help you out. Jasper can help make sure you two keep your blindfolds on.”

“Really, love?” Cullen sighed, somewhere between amused and exasperated. He could hear the nervousness in her voice, but he had no idea what was causing it. It was taking everything he had not to finally just rip the blindfold off. The only reason he didn’t was because he knew it was important to his wife. She’d gone through a lot of effort if she’d managed to drag their friends into it and gotten them all somewhere outside of Denerim.

Trevelyan pulled open Alistair’s door swiftly. “Yes, really,” she laughed, helping her friend out of the SUV. “Wait right here, Alistair, or I’ll have to let Jasper chase you down.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Trev watched as Alistair shifted just enough to lean against the side of the car out of the way of the door. She quickly shut that door and moved to the back to let Regan’s mabari out, certain he needed to at least stretch his legs. And then, all that was left was Cullen. “I’d say watch your step, but, well ….” She trailed off, biting back a smile as her husband carefully climbed out of the car. Maybe it was because he couldn’t see, but his movements were very deliberate as she guided him over to stand next to Alistair for a moment. “You’re almost there, though.” A quick wave from Regan Cousland let her know that everything was set up. She gently gave her husband’s arm a tug, guiding him away from the vehicle while Jasper nudged Alistair to follow suit.

Cullen hated to admit that the novelty of whatever this game the two Regans had concocted was wearing off, but there was only so long he could take being blindfolded, especially now that he was tripping over Maker-only-knew-what. And that smell! After only a dozen or so steps, the air took on a distinctive aroma; it reminded him of the way Regan and Alistair’s apartment smelled after Jasper got caught in a heavy downpour, only ten times worse. “This is getting ridiculous, love. When can I take this thing off?” The only saving grace was that he was almost entirely certain she wasn’t _trying_ to annoy him. Wait; what was that noise?

“OK, boys.” The strange sound stopped suddenly as Regan Cousland’s voice cut through the air. “Cullen, take a seat, _carefully_ , and … remove your blindfolds.” She grinned at Trev as the two men tugged the bandanas off and looked around, confused. She motioned for Alistair to come join her against one wall as Cullen shifted on the small stool Trevelyan had helped guide him to. Jasper was nowhere to be found, but that didn’t really worry her; there was nothing dangerous he could get into at the moment.

“We’re … in a barn?” Alistair looked around. This would at least explain why the place smelled familiar. He’d spent plenty of time in various barns growing up in Redcliff. But that didn’t really explain why _they_ were in a barn _now_. Taking slow steps to join his girlfriend, what stood out the most was the near perfect squareness of the room. It wasn’t a typical horse-stall, or at least not like any he’d seen. The floor was covered with straw and dirt, and several of those half-door things that he’d never been able to figure out the proper name for were shut, letting in plenty of light. He started to ask why, only to be shushed by his girlfriend’s lips against his while Cullen tried to get his wife to tell him what was happening.

“Love, I don’t understand what’s going on.” The surroundings certainly explained why it smelled like animals, but it did nothing to explain why they were there, or why he was sitting on a very low stool in the middle of a large room with eight … no, six pairs of eyes on him; Jasper was missing. “I know you said you had a surprise for me, but …?”

“Do you trust me, dearheart?” Trev dropped to her knees next to her husband and kissed his cheek as he nodded, signaling to her friend that it was time.

“I d-!”

“OK, Dennett; let them loose!” Regan cut him off after getting the go-ahead from Trev.

“Let who …?” Cullen’s question was interrupted by the sound of several somethings … or someones … running across a wooden platform, and getting closer every second.


	3. The Others

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Cullen is surrounded by furry balls of fluff, Regan Cousland and Alistair talk a walk.

“So his gift is being able to play with a pack of mabari pups?” Alistair walked toward barn hand-in-hand with Regan. He had suggested giving Cullen a little more privacy after the third pup had been scooped up into his lap and proceeded to lap at his face. It was a little disappointing that he hadn’t been privy to the destination from the start, but really, he probably wouldn’t have been able to keep it a secret, especially once he realized where they were headed. “Maker, I haven’t been back here in years.”

She had forgotten he’d said he grew up in Redcliff. But with the number of farms in the area, what were the odds that he’d have spent time on this particular one. After sliding open the barn door, she turned. “You spent time on _this_ farm? How did I not know _that_?”

Why did her lips purse when he nodded? Was she think it was bad that he grew up here? As a child, while his mother worked in town, he would spend his summers learning how to ride and care for the horses. After she had passed away, Maric suddenly took an interest in raising him and moved him back to Denerim. “I … um, spent a few summers here, as a kid.” He shrugged, glancing over at the stall that had housed his favorite horse and spying the ladder that led to the hayloft. “Mom needed someone to watch me while she worked, and Uncle Eamon ….” He paused, running a hand through his hair. “Well, I didn’t know he was my uncle _then_ , but anyway … he convinced Dennet to put me to work in the stables.” He motioned for her to follow him.

“I don’t remember ever seeing you. When did you stop coming for the summer?” Regan strolled over, hands clasped behind her back. She was curious where he was headed, and why she’d never run into him when she started visiting the farm with her father. When he motioned toward the ladder, there was no stopping the teasing grin that broke through.

Alistair laughed, cutting off anything Regan might have been about to say. “Oh, no you don’t. I know that look. No smart comments out of you, young lady.” He reached for her hand and pulled her closer to himself, and the ladder. “Maaaybe I’m trying to get you into the hayloft for some private time.” He leaned in and brushed soft kisses against her lips. “And maybe I just want to share someplace that has fond memories for me with you.”

                                                                           *****************************************************************

“Hold still, Cullen. I _have_ to get a picture of this.” Trev laughed and pulled out her phone as Cullen struggled to keep two squirming puppies from completely covering his face with kisses. “I promised your sisters that I would send proof that you remember how to smile.”

“Very funny, Regan.” Cullen struggled to keep a scowl on his face, ultimately breaking when a third puppy crawled into his lap and slurped at his nose. “I can’t believe you told Mia and Rosalie about this, but kept it a secret from _me_.”

                                                                           *****************************************************************

Regan ran her fingers along the lines carved into the post, failing to suppress a soft chuckle as she traced out the heart. “How old were you?”

“Um … seven?” He ducked his head, feeling his cheeks go a bit pink. “I … heard some of the farmhands’ kids, the older ones, talking about carving their initials … and whichever girl they were after … into trees or fences or whatever and ….”

“And you just had to do it too?” A barely-there nod answered before she reached out to take his hand. “Did you ever show whoever this CHZ is? What did she think?”

He didn’t think he could get any redder, but Maker his face felt like it was on fire. She thought that was a …? Couldn’t she tell what those initials were …? “I … um, well … you could say she … melted?” He had to change the subject; he hadn’t intended on her finding _that_ up here; he’d completely forgotten he’d done that. He was about to try and distract her when she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

“I think it’s cute. Which cheese was it that finally captured seven-year-old you’s heart?”

Oh thank the Maker; she had been teasing. Alistair grinned, reaching over to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Elaina always called it Cheshire. She said it reminded her of when she and Dennet met.” He flopped down next to her and sighed. “I used to come up here and watch the sunset most nights. It was peaceful. And I thought that … maybe … we could ….?”

“I’d love to.” She snuggled against him and sighed softly, content as his arm moved around her. “But we should be getting back to Cullen and Trev to see if he’s settled on one, or if one imprinted on him.”

“How does imprinting work, anyway?”

Regan led the way down the ladder, waiting for Alistair before slipping her hand in his. “It’s hard to explain. With Jasper, there was just this … utter sense of certainty the moment I picked him up. Dennet said he never saw it happen that fast. It doesn’t _always_ happen, and sometimes it doesn’t happen until they’re out of the puppy stage.”

“So Cullen might actually get a puppy?” Alistair did his best not to sound jealous. It was silly; they already had Jasper, but still … he’d never had a mabari of his own. “Will they be able to take care of it with their schedules?” He knew Trev worked long hours at the hospital, and Cullen’s schedule wasn’t much better.

Regan sighed softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “You know, I asked Trev the very same thing. She assured me they’d figure something out. Maybe Cullen will be able to bring the pup with him? It’s not like the Denerim PD doesn’t have K9 officers.” She knew Dennet supplied the mabari for the police, as well as the Ferelden military, so the fact that any dog Cullen went home with was from this particular stock might be enough to convince them. “Who knows; maybe they’ll ask you to puppy-sit.”

Alistair laughed, trying not to sound too hopeful. “Maybe.” He paused, looking around. “Speaking of mabari … where’s Jasper?”


	4. The gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen makes a critical decision

“So, found one you like?”

Trev sat up and moved a brown and black puppy from her chest to the ground, noticing Dennet leaning against the door frame. She glanced over at Cullen, who looked like he was enjoying every second he was surrounded by the pack of furry faces. The swift shift from laughing smile to slack-jawed stare proved to be too much for her; she didn’t bother trying to stop the laugh.

“Found one … what?” Cullen looked from his wife to Dennet and then back to his wife, the words not registering. Even the snuffling and nuzzling from the throng of puppies surrounding him wasn’t enough to jumpstart his brain.

How could he not have figured it out by now? Surely he didn’t think she simply brought him here to play with puppies; that would have been torturous and evil of her, wouldn’t it? “ _That’s_ your nameday present, dearheart, not just playing with them.” Trev gestured to the pack. “I know you’ve wanted one for ages, and I thought that … well, that now might be a good time.”

“Aww; I wanted to be here when you told him.” Regan strolled through the barn door hand-in-hand with Alistair, her voice tinged with laughter at the wide-eyed expression on his face. “Any strike your fancy, Rutherford?” She’d taken a look at the litter not long after they had been born and had a couple opinions on decent matches, but it all depended on what clicked for him.

It took another minute, but the stunned look on Cullen’s face finally gave way to the closest thing to glee Trev had ever seen, and that included the night she accepted his proposal. “They’re all so ....” He let the sentence trail off, unsure of the word he was looking for. They were all adorable; that was certain. The soft fur tickled his skin whenever any would brush by him. But they were so young, so small and untrained. Neither of them would have time to properly care for a puppy this small. But he didn’t want to break his wife’s heart. She looked so hopeful.

“Woof!”

“There you are, Jasper!” Regan grinned as her mabari strolled in, looking quite pleased with himself. “Where have you been? Please tell me you haven’t been terrorizing Dennet’s horses again. You keep doing that, and he’ll never let us come back, even if he _does_ want to breed you.”

Trailing behind Jasper was another mabari. Mostly grey, he had a distinct bib of white and a wide strip above his muzzle. A smattering of white spots decorated his shoulders. He was noticeably smaller than Jasper; Regan guessed he was still young and simply hadn’t had time to grow to his proper size yet; he walked with the clumsy gait of someone still learning how their longer limbs affected things.

“Well, who are you?” She dropped to her knees and held out a hand, allowing the new arrival to sniff. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

“He arrived a few days ago.” Dennet leaned against the opening of the barn, watching the younger dog tentatively approach the litter of puppies and humans in the center. “Some noblewoman from Orlais apparently bought him without realizing how big he was going to get. He’s not even full grown and he was too much for her.” He saw this happen far more often than he’d like. People in the surrounding countries, Orlais especially, found the novelty of the Ferelden mabari too enticing to ignore when the beasts were small. But then they start to grow, and eat, and want to run. And so, they were disposed of. The lucky ones found their way to his farm. He didn’t turn them away, even if they weren’t from his stock. He couldn’t bring himself to.

Cullen looked up from the pile of puppies in front of him and stared. He caught the dog’s eye and couldn’t look away. Regan had warned him before about meeting a mabari’s eye. It was often considered a challenge, never advisable, especially when coming face to face with a strange one. But for some reason, he couldn’t help himself. Surely it was just habit – a police officer faced with an unknown threat; of course he’d keep an eye on it, right? Never mind the fact that it wasn’t looking away either.

Everyone watched as Jasper nudged the younger dog in Cullen’s direction, curious. Regan’s mabari had pretty much been out of sight since they’d arrived, and while Regan and Dennet had obviously trusted him not to get into trouble, they had no idea he was going to come across this stranger. Alistair noticed both Regan and Dennet tense up, as if they were preparing to leap into some sort of battle, while Trev took a step back, giving the dog plenty of space while still keeping an eye on her husband. “What’s going on,” he whispered, afraid to break the silence that had settled on the barn.

“I think …” Regan started, glancing at Dennet to confirm her suspicions, “that they … imprinted.” She pointed over at the pair as Dennet nodded. The grey mabari had shoved his head under Cullen’s arm, and the officer was in the middle of running hands along the mabari’s sides, scratching gently and grinning like a child on Feastday. “Is this what it looked like for me and Jasper, Dennet?”

The older gentleman shook his head, shrugging slightly. “Not exactly. It’s been a little different every time I see it.” There was a brief pause while he tried to remember how she and Jasper had reacted, but it had been years long past. “You two … I think I knew the moment you walked through the door that you were going to find one. You didn’t even have to get down with the pups; as soon as you walked past the kennel, he was up at the door and staring after you. But this ….” He gestured toward Cullen, still stroking the pup and murmuring softly. “ _This_ , I never expected. Seems your beast might know better than any of us. Have you given any more thought to my proposition?”

Jasper plodded his way over and sat smugly in front of Regan, snuffling at her pocket. He had a look on his face that he just _knew_ he’d done something quite unexpected and was certain it would work out. Now, he wanted his darn treat, and he _knew_ she had it shoved in that pocket.

“Alright; you’ve talked me into it.” Regan laughed, reaching into her pocket to pull out a bit of food, tossing it to Jasper. “Part of my fee includes that guy, right?” She gestured toward the grey mabari, now trying to climb his way into Cullen’s lap, and moderately succeeding. “And one of the new litter as well?” With Dennet’s answering nod, she reached out to shake his hand. “You have a deal. How soon do you need him here?”

Alistair watched as Regan, Dennet, and Jasper wandered back toward the farmhouse, deep in discussion that he didn’t quite catch. He eventually looked back over at his friends and laughed. Cullen had somehow ended up flat on his back, the mabari licking at his face while Trevelyan kneeled beside them both, laughing. “So … I take it you’ve found the one?”

“I have,” Cullen managed to eke out in between chuckles, trying to sit up. He’d never expected something like this. He’d wanted a mabari ever since he was a small child, but things had never worked out in his favor. And when Regan … his Regan had said his nameday gift was choosing a _puppy_ , he immediately started worrying about how they were going to train it, take care of it, when both worked such long hours. He couldn’t fathom convincing his boss to allow him to bring an honest-to-maker _puppy_ into the HQ, even if he was on a desk more than patrol lately. But a dog this age … she might actually be willing to listen, maybe even put them through training together. He turned to his wife. “Thank you, dear one.”

“What will you name him?”

“I think … Baron.”


	5. Back home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alistair gets a surprise.

“So what were you and Dennet talking about before we left?” Alistair did his best not to sound jealous; he knew there was nothing to worry about between the pair. Dennet was still head-over-heels for his wife, and Regan …. Well, he knew how Regan felt about him. He grinned down at her, running his fingers through her hair while she rested her head in his lap. “It looked very serious, with handshakes and signatures and everything.”

Her eyes fluttered closed, relaxing a little more with every stroke of his fingers. The drive back had been a little cramped, with four adults and two mabari in one car. And longer than normal, since they’d had to remain vigilant; they still didn’t know Baron’s cues for when he needed a break, and she really hadn’t wanted to spend several hours cleaning up after an accident. She could only imagine the first time there was a miscommunication regarding bathroom issues, or boundaries. “Well, we had to sign Baron over to Cullen, then there was the matter of payment, and he wanted my opinion on a couple that contacted him looking for a puppy. You remember Sebastian and Rowan?” Alistair’s flushed nod brought a warmth to her cheeks, remembering the position the pair had been in when Sebastian had surprised them in the park.  "Apparently _they_ are interested in a mabari."  She quickly cleared her throat and added the biggest reason the pair had wandered off. “And Dennet wanted my answer on something he’s been wanting for a while now.”

“What’s that?” He tried not to think about what he’d been about to ask when her friend had interrupted. Of all the times … all the places he could have thought to ask, he’d chosen _then_? What had he been _thinking_? She deserved to be asked in some special way, not after a stupid fight. Maker, did she know what was going through is head?

Regan grinned, reaching up with one hand to run her fingers along his jaw. “He has a bitch he’s been wanting to breed with Jasper for years now. So as part of the stud fee, I covered Baron’s adoption and we get one of the puppies from Jas’ litter.”

His fingers stilled. He found he was unable to stop staring at her. Had he heard correctly? She would be getting a mabari puppy? There would be a puppy in the apartment?!

“Well, more appropriately, _you’re_ getting one of the puppies.” She laughed, watching his eyes grow even wider. “Consider it an early nameday gift.”

“Maker’s breath; I love you, woman.”


End file.
